Whiskey Bent: Tim Molzen’s 1962 Dodge Sweptline Crew Cab

There’s no denying that Roger Burman is a legend in the automotive performance industry. If you’re a motorsports kind of guy then you probably know Burman from his amazing autocross builds, like the 1967 Camaro dubbed “Scar,” and the more recent 1970 “Crusher” Camaro. Burman even thrashes his own car, a hardy Chevy-powered 1963 Dart, in the Pro Class at just about every autocross event this country has to offer. But even aside from the autocross circuit, Burman is known for his impeccable creations, which he expertly crafts at Lakeside Rods and Rides in Rockwell City, Iowa.

Though Burman can be a reserved kind of guy if you don’t know him, his creations certainly speak for themselves – case in point this recently completed 1962 Dodge Sweptline Crew Cab owned by Tim Molzen.

Falling in love with a plethora of rides is easy at any given car show, and that was certainly the case for us at the 2015 Goodguys Heartland Nationals. But we didn’t quite know how quick true love could be discovered until we stumbled upon Molzen’s Lakeside built Dodge – nicknamed “Whiskey Bent” – among the thousands of rides on display, appropriately sitting amidst what would become some of the event’s top award winning rides. Like we said, all of Burman’s creations speak for themselves and that’s exactly what makes this truck the perfect Slam’d Mag ride.

Just like any unique build, Molzen’s truck didn’t start out as the gem that it is today. In fact, it was definitely a diamond in the rough, if you will, having previously been a 3/4-ton 4×4 truck used by the United States Air Force. But once the truck was found in southern Indiana, this gem was certainly destined for greater things to come!

Molzen picked the truck up for just $4,000 and with greatness in mind, he shipped it off to Burman’s Midwest shop for a complete overhaul. Over the following year and a half, Burman transformed the truck into the gorgeous winning show piece that you see here.

Now, while the truck looks like a completely custom build, it’s body lines are actually fairly stock with a few slight modifications. In the build process, Burman did sharpen many of the body lines and adjust the gaps, but the truck ultimately showcases the beauty of what the factory intended. Of course, the Dodge wouldn’t be the same without its custom wheel tubs and new sheet metal bed floor, which gives it the little extra touch needed to see this once “ugly duckling” come to life. Atop it all, the truck features an extraordinarily deep PPG Western Brown and Flat Tan paint scheme. For added protection, Lamborghini Flat Clear was laid on the roof and on the bed floor.

Aside from it’s gorgeous paint and sharpened body lines, the truck’s stance is one of its most appealing features. Under the Dodge is a custom Roadster Shop chassis fitted with tubular A-arms and coilovers up front, and a 4-bar setup with coilovers in the back. This is not your typical Slam’d ride, as it’s not ‘bagged or on any form of adjustable suspension. Rather a dialed in performance suspension, giving the sleek custom painted Hot Rods By Boyd Columbus Signature Series wheels a substantial tuck, and really setting this build apart from the rest.

Running down the performance track, the truck makes use of a Dodge 360ci V-8 topped with custom painted aluminum Edelbrock heads, an Edelbrock intake, and coated manifolds that dump into a custom Flowmaster exhaust. Sitting atop the engine is a custom fabricated air cleaner/engine cover done by Lakeside.

The cherry on top of an already perfect sundae is the incredible custom interior of this truck, performed by Dan Weber of Weber’s Custom Interiors in Alexandria, Minnesota. In creating the custom quarters, the front seats were replaced with Dodge Intrepid power front seats, while passenger area maintained its factory bench seat, although you’d never know it thanks to the gorgeous custom leather used throughout. The full custom diamond pleating and stainless rivets of the seats is carried over to the door panels and center console, the later cut down and borrowed from a more modern Dodge pickup. Rounding it all out is a smoothed dash with custom Dakota Digital gauges and a suede headliner.

There’s no other truck quite like this one, and that’s exactly what Molzen was after with this build. Though he’s had many custom vehicles throughout the years, this one is definitely tops for all the custom details and unique flair, both factors among Molzen’s favorite parts of the truck. With Molzen’s Dodge now making the rounds at shows all over the country, your chances of seeing this beautiful creation in person is at a show near you is quite good. And when you do, we just hope that you take the time to really take it all in like we did – you won’t be disappointed!

Special Thanks From Owner:
“I’d like to thank everyone that made this possible, especially Roger Burman at Lakeside Rods & Rides, Dan Weber at Weber’s Custom Interiors and Willie T. Molzen for the excellent detailing!”

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